Kincaid was by no means a mechanic. He could guess at how machines worked, but unless he needed to break into it they were a matter he ignored. It was a subject better left to those with a passion for it. Honest folk, really, who enjoyed simpler things.
But this exhibition was anything but simple. Repertum was founded between the Empire of Pelagium and the nations of Aridus and Paludis. A home of research and science at the edge of the Copiea Sea - far from the nexus of advancements that Terminus seemed to birth. It was said there were three other sister cities to Repertum, but their names escaped those wagging tongues making the claim.
The skies of the city were dark mud-colored clouds and the air reeked of chemicals. Stalls were set in place for people to sell their wares, but intermingled were showcases that highlighted a particular groups research. Simple gizmos and trinkets - a box that played music when you cranked its handle, new mirrors whose polish was so perfect you could see yourself in the expensive steel, and various would-be enchanters hawking their casual goods. All of which was impressive for one reason or another, but ultimately not what the thief was looking for.
Dressed in his casual city wear of subdued browns and greens Kincaid’s emerald eyes passed over the crowd, intently searching. He leaned next to one of the various stalls that had been erected near an adjacent street. The merchant there was calling out for people to look at his work. He claimed to be a blacksmith whose tools were supreme and that he had slaved to bring worthwhile mechanics in Repertum the best wrenches, pliers, shears, and spare parts in all of Araevis.
“All the interesting who’s-its and what’s-its galore, but not a single one of them what I need.”
It was all that Aeria could do not to run around the miraculous blacksmith’s shop. Her jewel blue eyes darted over all of the beautifully made tools and her hands kept reaching out for them before sliding back to her sides. Her gaze was intent on all of the different (and useful) objects as she reverently paced up and down the aisles. The blacksmith was watching her, his eyes suspicious. The vigilance was nothing new. There was a common saying, “Spurii are as trustworthy as a snake in your bed” and the lithe woman was markedly not a pure Laicar.
As she spotted a particularly fine socket wrench set, a voice from behind and beside her caught her attention. The voice was loud, boisterous and full of confidence. Aeria turned, her blue eyes sharply focused. A half-smile crossed her lips. The man was short and unassuming but now the blacksmith’s attention was no longer focused on her at the sound of his voice. There was a distinct movement in the loud man’s hands, as though also resisting the temptation to reach for something. She sidled over to him and spoke in a low tone.
“The proprietor of this fine establishment is not impressed by your loud claims, sir. I suspect you’ve now drawn too much attention to yourself. I do hope you weren’t planning to snatch anything because I could see your hands twitching. Were you really looking for something specific?”
His puzzled eyes turned to the Spurii and he blinked. They shifted, then, to his hands. With a gentle chuckle and an embarrassed shrug, the man admitted, “In honest? I am. Though I will say a few of these babbles caught my eye. Simple designs, some, but the others more intricate than necessary.”
Pushing off the stall, Kincaid turned his attention to the stall owner and tipped his wide-brimmed hat to the merchant-smith. When those green eyes returned and met with Aeria’s, it was a level and gauging stare that met her. He lowered his voice and a bit of mirth entered his voice, “I thought I might take one of the fancier ones to see if I was wrong.” He shrugged then and added as an afterthought, “If I was wrong I’d return it, of course. No use in taking worthless toys.”
He paused for a moment, and his brows drew down in a frown. His smile flickered for a half-second and was there again, the puzzled look gone.
“You’ve been here for a while yourself.” He noted. “Are you by chance a…,” he struggled with the word and gestured vaguely at the crowd, “...mechanic?” The word tripped over his tongue and sounded awkward. Like he wasn’t used to saying it and was trying it out for the first time.
A half-smile darted over Aeria’s features as the man struggled with the word. She inclined her head at him, tilting it like a listening bird and then nodded in a more confident gesture.
“To be precise, I’m an engineer but I do turn my hand to mechanical tasks as well. No use in knowing the theory without practicing it. I can see you’re all about the practice...maybe even the art of...ah...stealth, shall we say?”
Her eyes were bright chips of sky as they regarded him, glancing over him with intellect clearly visible in their depths.
“Just so you know, I haven’t any problem with your vocation. We all need to find the money to help fill our bellies and perhaps satiate deeper needs.”
The elegant young woman smiled again and spoke, “After having been so forward, I suppose I ought to introduce myself. My name’s Aeria. Aeria Luxus to give it in full. Who might you be or rather what name are you calling yourself?”
“Ohoho! What’s this?” Impressed, Kincaid placed his fists on his hips and re-examined the girl. “Sharp eyes and a sharp tongue!” He barked a rich laugh and extended one hand to Aeria, introducing himself at the same time, “You may call me Kincaid - just Kincaid, please.”
He waited for her to shake his hand before he continued talking. Asking, “So what brought you to Repertum? Not just the thingy-ma-bobs is it?” He paused and his eyes once again looked her over. “You’re well travelled… from the eastern continents?”
He let his hand fall back to his hip.
There was a smile on her lips, one that wasn’t entirely free of a twist to it. She raised an eyebrow and shook her head.
“No, Kincaid, not just the thingy-ma-bobs. I suppose you could say that I’m a journeyman of sorts. That is, a journeyman who isn’t a man at all. I’ve heard things about what’s going on here and I had to check the rumors out.”
She paused and let herself examine her new acquaintance again. His appearance was unassuming but he wasn’t dull. In fact, there was a rapier in his glance and Aeria was always one for sparring. Her voice was playful.
“You are a canny one, aren’t you? Let’s say that some people don’t take kindly to my presence and leave it there. What about you? I take it that thingy-ma-bobs are low on your agenda.”
“Let’s just say some people don’t take kindly to my presence,” he echoed with a wink. “But you’d be right. Unless their value is something extraordinary, I don’t care much for the things this city has.”
Kincaid turned to the street, thoughtful. “You know,” he said, “I plan to be travelling a lot in the coming months. An engineer in my group might prove interesting. Providing you’re any good.”
With a raised eyebrow, the thief looked to Aeria from the corner of his eye. “Care to show me what you can do?”
If Aeria felt any surprise, her face didn’t show it. She leaned casually up against the wall and regarded Kincaid through half-hooded eyes as she remained expressionless. After a moment, she began to nod slowly.
“A challenge huh? I always did like a challenge. Sure, Kincaid, I’ll come along with you. Just don’t think for a second that I’m not testing you at the same time. It’d be an interesting opportunity to put more of my skills to the test in a real world situation.”
She continued, “So when are you planning on getting this little group together officially? Do I have time to prepare?”
Kincaid laughed again before he turned and began to walk into the crowd, waving for the engineer to follow.
“No group,” he clarified, “ just me and you. Right now.”
The two of them navigated the crowded streets and alleyways for a time, the thief leading them this way or that in what had to be an obvious attempt to confuse Aeria. Eventually, however, they stopped in front of the door to a small shop. The alley was dank and dark, shadowed by the buildings on either side. The door was painted, although beginning to chip, and the brass handle didn’t look at all taken care of.
Kincaid opened the door and told Aeria to wait. He returned long enough to usher her in with a quick wave of his hand, and disappeared.
The inside of the shop was dusty, with low burning orbs of Ghost Fire that some enchanter had made in place of torches. Chains hung from the rafters in a pulley with a hoist attached to it. Spare gears, bolts, and other finer pieces of metal were scattered across a workbench where Kincaid stood.
He had his back to Aeria and was gathering up papers and bits. Some he put into small buckets, others he set down next to two half-finished orbs.
“And make sure there’s no oil in the tea this time!” He shouted.
The delicately slender young woman’s forehead furrowed as Kincaid shouted into the dark space beyond them.
“I take we’re not the only ones here?”
Almost of their own accord, Aeria’s fingers began pawing through the assorted mechanical bits and pieces. Her quick movements allowed her to easily attach and assemble gear wheels right there in the room. Her clear blue eyes moved across the room, stopping here and there to admire something before drifting onwards to the next object. As Kincaid puttered around, she asked, “Do you even have anyone else you’re considering for this group of yours?”
“No we’re not, and don’t worry about the details,” he explained in whirling brevity. Then, remembering who was with him, he shook himself and said, “This shop belongs to an associate of mine. They’ve been very helpful to me since I’ve been traveling, and while I’ve been here.”
As if summoned by his words, a door hidden by shadows opened off to Kincaid’s far left. The whirl of gyros, clinking of gears, and boiling of water as it turned into steam, introduced the thief’s associate - a Demvir. Caked in grime and oil, the Demvir took rickety steps out into the open carrying a polished tray with three cups.
“Aeria, this is Archimedes,” Kincaid stated. Introductions given he walked towards the ancient Demvir and took the tray from him, setting it down on an open space of the workbench. “I met the old man six months ago and began exchanging letters with him. He’s been helping me build these,” he motioned to the two unfinished orbs, “but sadly its going to take more than just the two of us to complete. Warmed wine? It’s a specialty of Archimedes.”
The old Demvir chuckled, a motion that splashed the water in his round boiler with a hiss and sounded like wires tightening. When he spoke it held the familiar synthesized quality most of his kind displayed, but was whisper-soft, more air from bellows than words, “Kincaid is a light-weight.”
“I don’t want to hear that from someone who only drinks warm water.”
Her eyes widened as she noticed the Demvir enter. Aeria smiled and waved in greeting. She spoke with enthusiasm, “Pleased to meet you, Archimedes! I do respect the Demvir a great deal so I’m glad to note that Kincaid’s been good enough to work with you.”
She nodded in acquiescence and took one of the cups of warmed wine. The dust of travelling was still in her throat and even though she grimaced as she took the first sip of the spiced concoction, she kept drinking it without complaint.
Aeria had to laugh at the banter between the two odd partners. She grinned at both of them now.
“You can’t fool me. You two obviously get along!”
After the pleasantries had been exchanged, the slim Spurii’s fingers began to creep towards the orbs that were laying on the workbench. She glanced expectantly at Kincaid and said, “May I take a peek at these orbs? I’m curious as to what you’re doing with them.”
“Please,” Archimedes rasped, “before Kin ruins our work.”
Kincaid took his own up and walked away, removing himself as an obstacle around the workbench. “Well if you feel that way, mayhap I should take my leave.”
“Do you have Dissilious for brains?!” the Demvir grated. The water in his boiler began to bubble viciously and he rose to his full towering height as steam blew out his back.
“Easy, old man, easy.” Kincaid attempted to gesture Archimedes down with both hands, and was met with mild success given his wine was still in one of them. “I was only joking. Still see you didn’t develop a sense of humor while we wrote.”
“I am a scientist and an engineer!” Archimedes exclaimed, small tufts of white clouds punctuation his statement. Kincaid must have wounded the old Demvir with his comment, because he continued to explain hurriedly, as if it were necessary, “I am busy, and have little use for all your nuances and wit.”
Kincaid shook his head and sighed, turning back to Aeria, “You can. I don’t know how much success you’re going to have though. One of them is supposed to be a drone for Archimedes. It’s supposed to have something the old man is calling ‘active camouflage’ and will help him in his…,” Kincaid shot a pointed look at the Demvir, “...research.”
Archimedes shrunk in on himself, embarrassed, and spread his hands in a plea, “I simply want to know how the other races would interact with me.”
“To say nothing of what you’d like to rob your competitors of.” Kincaid added, sipping his wine. Much like Aeria, the thief didn’t handle the initial taste well. “If, you know, you did that sort of thing.”
Archimedes snorted, a motion that blew more steam out from his square nose. “You cannot steal ideas. Only present them to others before someone else does.”
“... Sounds an awful lot like theft,” Kincaid mused aloud, grinning from ear-to-ear.
Aeria was warming quickly to Archimedes, but she still maintained a slightly wary attitude. She took the proffered orb and turned it over in her clever hands. She spoke with excitement, after drowning out the quasi-argumentative banter between her two new acquaintances.
“This is beautiful work! If you did this, Archimedes, you’re a bona fide genius.”
She addressed Kincaid’s comment next as she smiled, “To quote something I once heard a wit say about mathematics: plagiarize, plagiarize - that’s why the gods gave you eyes! More seriously sometimes engineering is about making small improvements on other people’s ideas.”
However, Aeria was hasty to add, “This ‘drone’ is so much more than just an improvement. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I think I’m going to enjoy working with you two!”
“Why... thank you.” The Demvir was appreciative, but something else lingered in his tone. Confusion. Made all the more obvious when he turned to Kincaid. One of his thin metal brows raised in a silent question.
The thief cleared his throat, and said, “Archimedes, technically, works alone. He’s only working with me because of my knowledge in a couple of areas of magic, which he isn’t studied on. So, you’ll be specifically working with me as I travel.” Taking another, larger, pull from the wine, Kincaid set down his cup and walked back over to the table.
Picking up the other orb, he held it out and asked, “What if a Demvir could look like a Laicar, a Velen, or an Enlil? What if, with a sufficient amount of enchanting someone could walk around looking like someone else without the aid of actually casting magic?” He lifted the orb higher like an offering to the Vis. “With the basic knowledge I have, Archimedes has been able to devise this. He calls it crude and insufficient for our needs, and I have to agree.”
“Kincaid is no engineer or mechanist,” Archimedes chirped. “He does not understand, nor does he wish to understand, the technical details or the beauty in the metal. I have offered as much as I could for him as traveled around Aridus, but the solution we seek lies elsewhere - beyond this continent, and I cannot leave.”
Kincaid picked up the rest of the explanation without missing a beat. “So, the only solution is to get the old bucket an apprentice. Someone he can teach his trade to without worrying they’d run off with it before he dies. Someone whom I can take with me, aide me in my exploration and theories, reference, and continue communicating with Archimedes.”
He set down the orb and leveled a finger at Aeria. “You.”
Thoughts of the professor filled Aeria’s head but the truth was that she couldn’t stay with him forever. This opportunity that was being given to her was too good to pass up. She sighed and took a deep inward breath, but she smiled after a moment and nodded slowly.
“Alright. Alright, I’ll do it. The old bucket can have his apprentice and I’ll join in your journey. You’ve officially got yourself one Aeria Luxus. Now let’s get back to looking at this orb of yours.”
As the two mechanically-minded beings sat down the atmosphere became more relaxed and studious. There was something in the air, something that spoke of a future just starting to be forged here in this dark workshop between three disparate individuals.
[3006]
But this exhibition was anything but simple. Repertum was founded between the Empire of Pelagium and the nations of Aridus and Paludis. A home of research and science at the edge of the Copiea Sea - far from the nexus of advancements that Terminus seemed to birth. It was said there were three other sister cities to Repertum, but their names escaped those wagging tongues making the claim.
The skies of the city were dark mud-colored clouds and the air reeked of chemicals. Stalls were set in place for people to sell their wares, but intermingled were showcases that highlighted a particular groups research. Simple gizmos and trinkets - a box that played music when you cranked its handle, new mirrors whose polish was so perfect you could see yourself in the expensive steel, and various would-be enchanters hawking their casual goods. All of which was impressive for one reason or another, but ultimately not what the thief was looking for.
Dressed in his casual city wear of subdued browns and greens Kincaid’s emerald eyes passed over the crowd, intently searching. He leaned next to one of the various stalls that had been erected near an adjacent street. The merchant there was calling out for people to look at his work. He claimed to be a blacksmith whose tools were supreme and that he had slaved to bring worthwhile mechanics in Repertum the best wrenches, pliers, shears, and spare parts in all of Araevis.
“All the interesting who’s-its and what’s-its galore, but not a single one of them what I need.”
It was all that Aeria could do not to run around the miraculous blacksmith’s shop. Her jewel blue eyes darted over all of the beautifully made tools and her hands kept reaching out for them before sliding back to her sides. Her gaze was intent on all of the different (and useful) objects as she reverently paced up and down the aisles. The blacksmith was watching her, his eyes suspicious. The vigilance was nothing new. There was a common saying, “Spurii are as trustworthy as a snake in your bed” and the lithe woman was markedly not a pure Laicar.
As she spotted a particularly fine socket wrench set, a voice from behind and beside her caught her attention. The voice was loud, boisterous and full of confidence. Aeria turned, her blue eyes sharply focused. A half-smile crossed her lips. The man was short and unassuming but now the blacksmith’s attention was no longer focused on her at the sound of his voice. There was a distinct movement in the loud man’s hands, as though also resisting the temptation to reach for something. She sidled over to him and spoke in a low tone.
“The proprietor of this fine establishment is not impressed by your loud claims, sir. I suspect you’ve now drawn too much attention to yourself. I do hope you weren’t planning to snatch anything because I could see your hands twitching. Were you really looking for something specific?”
His puzzled eyes turned to the Spurii and he blinked. They shifted, then, to his hands. With a gentle chuckle and an embarrassed shrug, the man admitted, “In honest? I am. Though I will say a few of these babbles caught my eye. Simple designs, some, but the others more intricate than necessary.”
Pushing off the stall, Kincaid turned his attention to the stall owner and tipped his wide-brimmed hat to the merchant-smith. When those green eyes returned and met with Aeria’s, it was a level and gauging stare that met her. He lowered his voice and a bit of mirth entered his voice, “I thought I might take one of the fancier ones to see if I was wrong.” He shrugged then and added as an afterthought, “If I was wrong I’d return it, of course. No use in taking worthless toys.”
He paused for a moment, and his brows drew down in a frown. His smile flickered for a half-second and was there again, the puzzled look gone.
“You’ve been here for a while yourself.” He noted. “Are you by chance a…,” he struggled with the word and gestured vaguely at the crowd, “...mechanic?” The word tripped over his tongue and sounded awkward. Like he wasn’t used to saying it and was trying it out for the first time.
A half-smile darted over Aeria’s features as the man struggled with the word. She inclined her head at him, tilting it like a listening bird and then nodded in a more confident gesture.
“To be precise, I’m an engineer but I do turn my hand to mechanical tasks as well. No use in knowing the theory without practicing it. I can see you’re all about the practice...maybe even the art of...ah...stealth, shall we say?”
Her eyes were bright chips of sky as they regarded him, glancing over him with intellect clearly visible in their depths.
“Just so you know, I haven’t any problem with your vocation. We all need to find the money to help fill our bellies and perhaps satiate deeper needs.”
The elegant young woman smiled again and spoke, “After having been so forward, I suppose I ought to introduce myself. My name’s Aeria. Aeria Luxus to give it in full. Who might you be or rather what name are you calling yourself?”
“Ohoho! What’s this?” Impressed, Kincaid placed his fists on his hips and re-examined the girl. “Sharp eyes and a sharp tongue!” He barked a rich laugh and extended one hand to Aeria, introducing himself at the same time, “You may call me Kincaid - just Kincaid, please.”
He waited for her to shake his hand before he continued talking. Asking, “So what brought you to Repertum? Not just the thingy-ma-bobs is it?” He paused and his eyes once again looked her over. “You’re well travelled… from the eastern continents?”
He let his hand fall back to his hip.
There was a smile on her lips, one that wasn’t entirely free of a twist to it. She raised an eyebrow and shook her head.
“No, Kincaid, not just the thingy-ma-bobs. I suppose you could say that I’m a journeyman of sorts. That is, a journeyman who isn’t a man at all. I’ve heard things about what’s going on here and I had to check the rumors out.”
She paused and let herself examine her new acquaintance again. His appearance was unassuming but he wasn’t dull. In fact, there was a rapier in his glance and Aeria was always one for sparring. Her voice was playful.
“You are a canny one, aren’t you? Let’s say that some people don’t take kindly to my presence and leave it there. What about you? I take it that thingy-ma-bobs are low on your agenda.”
“Let’s just say some people don’t take kindly to my presence,” he echoed with a wink. “But you’d be right. Unless their value is something extraordinary, I don’t care much for the things this city has.”
Kincaid turned to the street, thoughtful. “You know,” he said, “I plan to be travelling a lot in the coming months. An engineer in my group might prove interesting. Providing you’re any good.”
With a raised eyebrow, the thief looked to Aeria from the corner of his eye. “Care to show me what you can do?”
If Aeria felt any surprise, her face didn’t show it. She leaned casually up against the wall and regarded Kincaid through half-hooded eyes as she remained expressionless. After a moment, she began to nod slowly.
“A challenge huh? I always did like a challenge. Sure, Kincaid, I’ll come along with you. Just don’t think for a second that I’m not testing you at the same time. It’d be an interesting opportunity to put more of my skills to the test in a real world situation.”
She continued, “So when are you planning on getting this little group together officially? Do I have time to prepare?”
Kincaid laughed again before he turned and began to walk into the crowd, waving for the engineer to follow.
“No group,” he clarified, “ just me and you. Right now.”
The two of them navigated the crowded streets and alleyways for a time, the thief leading them this way or that in what had to be an obvious attempt to confuse Aeria. Eventually, however, they stopped in front of the door to a small shop. The alley was dank and dark, shadowed by the buildings on either side. The door was painted, although beginning to chip, and the brass handle didn’t look at all taken care of.
Kincaid opened the door and told Aeria to wait. He returned long enough to usher her in with a quick wave of his hand, and disappeared.
The inside of the shop was dusty, with low burning orbs of Ghost Fire that some enchanter had made in place of torches. Chains hung from the rafters in a pulley with a hoist attached to it. Spare gears, bolts, and other finer pieces of metal were scattered across a workbench where Kincaid stood.
He had his back to Aeria and was gathering up papers and bits. Some he put into small buckets, others he set down next to two half-finished orbs.
“And make sure there’s no oil in the tea this time!” He shouted.
The delicately slender young woman’s forehead furrowed as Kincaid shouted into the dark space beyond them.
“I take we’re not the only ones here?”
Almost of their own accord, Aeria’s fingers began pawing through the assorted mechanical bits and pieces. Her quick movements allowed her to easily attach and assemble gear wheels right there in the room. Her clear blue eyes moved across the room, stopping here and there to admire something before drifting onwards to the next object. As Kincaid puttered around, she asked, “Do you even have anyone else you’re considering for this group of yours?”
“No we’re not, and don’t worry about the details,” he explained in whirling brevity. Then, remembering who was with him, he shook himself and said, “This shop belongs to an associate of mine. They’ve been very helpful to me since I’ve been traveling, and while I’ve been here.”
As if summoned by his words, a door hidden by shadows opened off to Kincaid’s far left. The whirl of gyros, clinking of gears, and boiling of water as it turned into steam, introduced the thief’s associate - a Demvir. Caked in grime and oil, the Demvir took rickety steps out into the open carrying a polished tray with three cups.
“Aeria, this is Archimedes,” Kincaid stated. Introductions given he walked towards the ancient Demvir and took the tray from him, setting it down on an open space of the workbench. “I met the old man six months ago and began exchanging letters with him. He’s been helping me build these,” he motioned to the two unfinished orbs, “but sadly its going to take more than just the two of us to complete. Warmed wine? It’s a specialty of Archimedes.”
The old Demvir chuckled, a motion that splashed the water in his round boiler with a hiss and sounded like wires tightening. When he spoke it held the familiar synthesized quality most of his kind displayed, but was whisper-soft, more air from bellows than words, “Kincaid is a light-weight.”
“I don’t want to hear that from someone who only drinks warm water.”
Her eyes widened as she noticed the Demvir enter. Aeria smiled and waved in greeting. She spoke with enthusiasm, “Pleased to meet you, Archimedes! I do respect the Demvir a great deal so I’m glad to note that Kincaid’s been good enough to work with you.”
She nodded in acquiescence and took one of the cups of warmed wine. The dust of travelling was still in her throat and even though she grimaced as she took the first sip of the spiced concoction, she kept drinking it without complaint.
Aeria had to laugh at the banter between the two odd partners. She grinned at both of them now.
“You can’t fool me. You two obviously get along!”
After the pleasantries had been exchanged, the slim Spurii’s fingers began to creep towards the orbs that were laying on the workbench. She glanced expectantly at Kincaid and said, “May I take a peek at these orbs? I’m curious as to what you’re doing with them.”
“Please,” Archimedes rasped, “before Kin ruins our work.”
Kincaid took his own up and walked away, removing himself as an obstacle around the workbench. “Well if you feel that way, mayhap I should take my leave.”
“Do you have Dissilious for brains?!” the Demvir grated. The water in his boiler began to bubble viciously and he rose to his full towering height as steam blew out his back.
“Easy, old man, easy.” Kincaid attempted to gesture Archimedes down with both hands, and was met with mild success given his wine was still in one of them. “I was only joking. Still see you didn’t develop a sense of humor while we wrote.”
“I am a scientist and an engineer!” Archimedes exclaimed, small tufts of white clouds punctuation his statement. Kincaid must have wounded the old Demvir with his comment, because he continued to explain hurriedly, as if it were necessary, “I am busy, and have little use for all your nuances and wit.”
Kincaid shook his head and sighed, turning back to Aeria, “You can. I don’t know how much success you’re going to have though. One of them is supposed to be a drone for Archimedes. It’s supposed to have something the old man is calling ‘active camouflage’ and will help him in his…,” Kincaid shot a pointed look at the Demvir, “...research.”
Archimedes shrunk in on himself, embarrassed, and spread his hands in a plea, “I simply want to know how the other races would interact with me.”
“To say nothing of what you’d like to rob your competitors of.” Kincaid added, sipping his wine. Much like Aeria, the thief didn’t handle the initial taste well. “If, you know, you did that sort of thing.”
Archimedes snorted, a motion that blew more steam out from his square nose. “You cannot steal ideas. Only present them to others before someone else does.”
“... Sounds an awful lot like theft,” Kincaid mused aloud, grinning from ear-to-ear.
Aeria was warming quickly to Archimedes, but she still maintained a slightly wary attitude. She took the proffered orb and turned it over in her clever hands. She spoke with excitement, after drowning out the quasi-argumentative banter between her two new acquaintances.
“This is beautiful work! If you did this, Archimedes, you’re a bona fide genius.”
She addressed Kincaid’s comment next as she smiled, “To quote something I once heard a wit say about mathematics: plagiarize, plagiarize - that’s why the gods gave you eyes! More seriously sometimes engineering is about making small improvements on other people’s ideas.”
However, Aeria was hasty to add, “This ‘drone’ is so much more than just an improvement. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I think I’m going to enjoy working with you two!”
“Why... thank you.” The Demvir was appreciative, but something else lingered in his tone. Confusion. Made all the more obvious when he turned to Kincaid. One of his thin metal brows raised in a silent question.
The thief cleared his throat, and said, “Archimedes, technically, works alone. He’s only working with me because of my knowledge in a couple of areas of magic, which he isn’t studied on. So, you’ll be specifically working with me as I travel.” Taking another, larger, pull from the wine, Kincaid set down his cup and walked back over to the table.
Picking up the other orb, he held it out and asked, “What if a Demvir could look like a Laicar, a Velen, or an Enlil? What if, with a sufficient amount of enchanting someone could walk around looking like someone else without the aid of actually casting magic?” He lifted the orb higher like an offering to the Vis. “With the basic knowledge I have, Archimedes has been able to devise this. He calls it crude and insufficient for our needs, and I have to agree.”
“Kincaid is no engineer or mechanist,” Archimedes chirped. “He does not understand, nor does he wish to understand, the technical details or the beauty in the metal. I have offered as much as I could for him as traveled around Aridus, but the solution we seek lies elsewhere - beyond this continent, and I cannot leave.”
Kincaid picked up the rest of the explanation without missing a beat. “So, the only solution is to get the old bucket an apprentice. Someone he can teach his trade to without worrying they’d run off with it before he dies. Someone whom I can take with me, aide me in my exploration and theories, reference, and continue communicating with Archimedes.”
He set down the orb and leveled a finger at Aeria. “You.”
Thoughts of the professor filled Aeria’s head but the truth was that she couldn’t stay with him forever. This opportunity that was being given to her was too good to pass up. She sighed and took a deep inward breath, but she smiled after a moment and nodded slowly.
“Alright. Alright, I’ll do it. The old bucket can have his apprentice and I’ll join in your journey. You’ve officially got yourself one Aeria Luxus. Now let’s get back to looking at this orb of yours.”
As the two mechanically-minded beings sat down the atmosphere became more relaxed and studious. There was something in the air, something that spoke of a future just starting to be forged here in this dark workshop between three disparate individuals.
[3006]